By:  | October 6, 2023 7:27 am

Eduard Folayang resurrected his ailing career by knocking out Amir Khan at ONE Fight Night 14 last weekend. But not everyone was impressed by the 39 year old’s performance.

Chatri Sityodtong believes that both Folayang and Khan should consider retirement. The former is 38 while the latter is only 28 but he thinks that both fighters are well past their prime.

Chatri was speaking to SCMP and he didn’t hold back when discussing what the future might hold for Folayang and Khan,

“I believe that both Eduard and Amir should consider retirement. Of course, it is ultimately their choice, but they both looked very slow and are a shadow of their former selves.”

Losing streak

These comments are unlikely to go down well in the Philippines where fans were euphoric after Folayang snapped his five fight losing streak. The fans there were up in arms about Chatri’s decision not to award the Filipino a $50,000 USD bonus after he knocked out Khan.

The finish might have been impressive but Chatri believes that Folayang was up against an opponent whose career is also coming to an end. Khan has lost three out of his last four fights but the sole win during this stretch came courtesy of a very dubious split decision.

This was Folayang’s first fight since leaving Team Lakay. Given that he managed to win for the first time since 2019 it was a very good result for the former lightweight champion and his new camp.

New team

There are a lot of Folayang fans out there and they probably feel that he has finally turned a corner with the help of his new team. But Chatri takes a much more pessimistic view of the situation.

Folayang turns 40 next month and Chatri made it clear he does not think the Filipino will ever be able to recapture the form which once made him a two time ONE Championship lightweight champion.

The second time Folayang won the title it was at the expense of Khan. He beat the Singaporean by decision in 2018 and there were absolutely no complaints about that fight.

Since then Folayang has suffered an alarming slump that has seen him lose seven out of nine MMA fights. He might have got back to winning ways last weekend but the ONE Championship head honcho thinks that it might be time for the Filipino to hang up his gloves.